Last Updated on 06/19/2022
Carmel-by-the-Sea is a charming little town along the Central California Coastline and shouldn’t be missed if you’re doing a road trip along the picturesque Pacific Coast Highway. It’s about 2 and a half hours south of San Francisco, so it’s the perfect stop to grab a coffee and stretch your legs if you’re heading down the coast.
The downtown area is chock-full of upscale boutiques, designer stores and quaint restaurants. Stroll all the way down the main street, Ocean Avenue, and you’ll end up at the beach.
Coffee shops are abundant and you can’t really go wrong. I chose Carmel Belle this time and forked over $5.15 for a soy café au lait (everything is expensive in Carmel), but it was quite delicious. I loved the look of everything on their food menu, as well. They also make their own almond milk!
The Carmel Coffee House and Café Carmel also make a mean latte. Each one is cuter than the next, despite completely lacking originality in the business name department.
My main recommendation in Carmel is just to wander around and take in the views of the gorgeous beach and charming cottage architecture. It’s a relatively small area and can easily be covered by foot.
What’s your favorite stop along the PCH?
This looks like so much fun! One of my good friends took a trip up the California Coastline last year and although I couldn’t go I envied all of her beautiful pictures. California is so big and as you know as a fellow Californian, those who live Northern tend to stay Northern and those who live in Southern Cali tend to stick to Southern Cali. Doing a nice trip along the coast could definitely take you to awakened beauty that I think most Californian’s become accustomed to. Your post is a great reminder that there is so much beautiful nature and historical places in the US!
You are so right, Natasha! California is as vast as it is beautiful! I’m lucky to have lived in both NorCal and SoCal 🙂 Thank you so much for commenting!